The present invention relates to a modular system of building. More specifically, a system of construction is described which includes as prefabricated modules the floors, walls, stairways and elevators, for example, that make up the elements of a modem commercial or residential building.
Today, many areas of the world are experiencing a greater and greater rate of population growth. In most areas, this increasing population growth rate has brought with it an increasing demand for affordable real estate, both commercial and residential. Conventional methods of building entail constructing most if not all the parts of a modem structure at the construction site. Various building elements such as floors, walls, interior structures, etc. are all constructed in serial fashion from the ground up. With building elements that are made out of reinforced concrete, most are originally formed from wooden or steel forms. Custom wooden forms must be constructed to match the desired shape and design of the building. After a structural base frame is assembled, the floors and walls are constructed. In constructing buildings, it is very common to construct the floors and walls (both exterior and interior) from reinforced concrete. After the rough floors and walls are completed, utility lines are then distributed throughout the building. One of the final steps is the finishing of the walls, floors and ceilings. If ceramic tiles are to be laid onto the concrete floor, for example, sand and/or other materials are applied to the rough, usually nonlevel floor. The sand provides a means by which the concrete floor can be leveled so that upon application of the desired final floor material, such as ceramic or stone tiles, the finished floor will be uniform in height.
In many parts of the world, workers who are relatively unskilled or low skilled, are used to construct buildings. Due to this fact, the finished floors in many buildings remain nonlevel to an annoying degree. In addition, the application of less than standard workmanship in a building (in the floors, walls, etc.) during all or a partial number of stages of construction are the cause of numerous problems for the occupants of the finished building. For example, problems such as nonplumb walls, nonlevel floors, developing wall cracks, etc. are commonly the result of poor workmanship. These problems are a constant nuisance and irritant and are expensive to remedy. These problems could irritate occupants enough for them to undergo expensive re-work of various parts of their premises. In the least, these problems would cause numerous complaints to the builders or a homeowner's association.
Another disadvantage with conventional building methods are that they are relatively slow. As previously described, most parts of a building are constructed section by section using wooden forms that must be built up and taken apart over and over again for each section of a building. This process is both tedious and slow. In a multi-storied structure, the floor above cannot be built until the floor below is constructed. This imposes a fixed time limitation upon the construction work. In a real estate market with high demand, a long construction time contributes to rising prices. In addition, there is a long amount of time between the start and completion of a building.